Final answer:
In the past 100 years, there has been an approximate rise of 1°C in Earth's average temperature. This rise has occurred at a significantly faster pace than historical climate changes, posing serious challenges to biodiversity and humanity. Other factors, such as carbon dioxide concentration and human activity, also influence these alarming changes.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the recent century, an approximate 1 °C rise in global temperature has been observed. Scientists agree that this increase coincides with the Industrial Era, which introduced mass production and subsequently, a significant rise in carbon dioxide levels. Notably, this 1 °C rise is equivalent to the temperature increase over the previous 4,000 years, highlighting a startling acceleration in global warming.
Historically, such changes were gradual, allowing species to adapt. However, the rate of the current climate change is so rapid that adaptation is difficult for many species, leading to increased extinction rates. To provide some perspective, global temperatures before the late 1800s varied by as much as 9°C cooler and about 3°C warmer, and life on Earth adapted to these changes over thousands of years. With the rise in average Earth's temperature by nearly 1°C in just the last hundred years, the climate system, biodiversity, and humanity face profound challenges.
To predict future rises, scientists take into account a variety of multidimensional factors, including current temperature trends, carbon dioxide concentrations, and human activities. Therefore, action to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions is crucial to manage the speed of this climate change.
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